Letter
Letter to Secretary of State Kerry on Haiti, February 11, 2016
February 11, 2016
The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Secretary Kerry:
As Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I write to share the concerns of my fellow bishops in Haiti regarding the unsettled political situation in that country.
The history of political and economic turmoil in Haiti, and the role of Church officials in response, are extensive. Attached please find the French original version, as well as an unofficial English translation, of a recent Statement of the Haitian Bishops' Conference. In this document, the bishops condemn any resort to violence, and call for dialogue and reconciliation as the means to effectuate a just and effective political solution.
On behalf of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the USCCB, we ask the U.S. Government to promote vigorously the principles set forth in the Statement by the bishops of Haiti.
As a major international presence in the region, our nation has a special moral responsibility to help protect the lives, dignity and future of all our Haitian brothers and sisters. This course will require heeding the call and wise advice, in particular, of the Church's bishops, ministers and workers, as well as those of human rights advocates. These leaders and ministers are in the forefront of service to the Haitian people in their quest for a peaceful and just resolution of the political crisis in that nation.
Sincerely yours,
Most Reverend Oscar Cantú
Bishop of Las Cruces
Chair, Committee on International Justice and Peace
Enclosure: Statement, Haitian Bishops' Conference (French original and unofficial English translation)